Apparatus and method for coordinated views of clustered data

Abstract

A data display apparatus uses a cluster display window and an item display window that appear simultaneously on a display screen. The cluster display window depicts underlying data elements using clustering icons arranged according to a clustering algorithm. The item display window depicts the data elements using textual information. The two display windows may have interrelated functionality, such that a change to a data element representation in one window changes a representation for the same element in another window. Various means of selecting and manipulating the representations of the data elements in the two windows are also provided.

1 . A data display apparatus for displaying data elements on a display screen accessible by a data processor having a memory storage device, the data elements each having a plurality of parameters the values of which vary from one element to another, the apparatus comprising:
 a cluster display module that presents the data elements in a cluster display on the display screen, such that graphical cluster icons, each representative of one or more of the data elements, are displayed with a spatial relationship to one another that is dependent on the values of said parameters;   an item display module that presents the data elements in an item display on the display screen, such that textual information regarding the parameters of data elements is displayed; and   a controller that controls the cluster display module and the item display module such that the graphical cluster icons and the textual information are viewable on the display screen simultaneously in such a way as to allow a user to visually correlate clusters in the cluster display with corresponding textual information in the item display.   
     
     
         2 . An apparatus according to  claim 1  wherein the cluster display module and the item display module receive signals from a user input device to select components of the cluster display and components of the item display, and wherein selection of a component of one of the cluster display and the item display modifies a manner in which a corresponding component is displayed in the other display. 
     
     
         3 . An apparatus according to  claim 2  wherein selection of a cluster in the cluster display results in highlighting of textual information in the item display that corresponds to a data element associated with the highlighted cluster. 
     
     
         4 . An apparatus according to  claim 2  wherein selection of a cluster in the cluster display may be used to selectively exclude textual information regarding data elements associated with that cluster from being displayed by the item display module. 
     
     
         5 . An apparatus according to  claim 1  wherein common distinguishing display features are used to coordinate components in the cluster display and the item display such that a distinguishing display feature applied to a first cluster in the cluster display is also applied to an item in the item display that corresponds to a data element associated with the first cluster. 
     
     
         6 . An apparatus according to  claim 1  wherein the cluster display module uses data stored by the item display module to generate the graphical cluster icons. 
     
     
         7 . A method of displaying data elements on a display screen accessible by a data processor having a memory storage device, the data elements each having a plurality of parameters the values of which vary from one element to another, the method comprising:
 (a) presenting the data elements in a cluster display on the display screen, such that graphical cluster icons, each representative of one or more of the data elements, are displayed with a spatial relationship to one another that is dependent on the values of said parameters;   (b) presenting the data elements in an item display on the display screen, such that textual information regarding the parameters of data elements is displayed; and   (c) controlling the cluster display and the item display such that the graphical cluster icons and the textual information are viewable on the display screen simultaneously in such a way as to allow a user to visually correlate clusters in the cluster display with corresponding textual information in the item display.   
     
     
         8 . A method according to  claim 7  further comprising:
 (d) changing the cluster display and the item display in response to signals generated by a user input device to select components of the cluster display and the item display; and   (e) in response to a selection of a component of one of the cluster display and the item display, modifying a manner in which a corresponding component is displayed in the other display.   
     
     
         9 . A method according to  claim 8  wherein step (c) comprises:
 (c1) in response to a selection of a cluster in the cluster display, highlighting an item in the item display that corresponds to a data element associated with the highlighted cluster.   
     
     
         10 . A method according to  claim 8  step (c) further comprises:
 (c2) in response to a selection of a cluster in the cluster display, selectively preventing textual information regarding data elements associated with that cluster from being displayed by the item display module.   
     
     
         11 . A method according to  claim 7  wherein common distinguishing display features are used to coordinate components in the cluster display and the item display such that a distinguishing display feature applied to a first cluster in the cluster display is also applied to an item in the item display that corresponds to a data element associated with the first cluster. 
     
     
         12 . A method according to  claim 7  wherein step (a) comprises using data elements in the item display to display the graphical cluster icons. 
     
     
         13 . A data display apparatus for displaying data elements on a display screen accessible by a data processor having a memory storage device, the data elements each having a plurality of parameters the values of which vary from one element to another, the apparatus comprising:
 means for presenting the data elements in a cluster display on the display screen, such that graphical cluster icons, each representative of one or more of the data elements, are displayed with a spatial relationship to one another that is dependent on the values of said parameters;   means for presenting the data elements in an item display on the display screen, such that textual information regarding the parameters of data elements is displayed; and   means for controlling the cluster display and the item display such that the graphical cluster icons and the textual information are viewable on the display screen simultaneously in such a way as to allow a user to visually correlate clusters in the cluster display with textual information in the item display.   
     
     
         14 . An apparatus according to  claim 13  wherein the cluster display and the item display receive signals from a user input device to select components of the cluster display and the item display, and wherein selection of a component of one of the cluster display and the item display modifies a manner in which a corresponding component is displayed in the other display. 
     
     
         15 . An apparatus according to  claim 14  wherein selection of a cluster in the cluster display results in highlighting of an item in the item display that corresponds to a data element associated with the highlighted cluster. 
     
     
         16 . An apparatus according to  claim 14  wherein selection of a cluster in the cluster display may be used to selectively exclude textual information regarding data elements associated with that cluster from being displayed in the item display. 
     
     
         17 . An apparatus according to  claim 13  wherein common distinguishing display features are used to coordinate components in the cluster display and the item display such that a distinguishing display feature applied to a first cluster in the cluster display is also applied to an item in the item display that corresponds to a data element associated with the first cluster. 
     
     
         18 . An apparatus according to  claim 13  wherein the means for presenting the data elements in a cluster display format uses data stored by the means for presenting the data elements in an item display format to generate the graphical cluster icons.